Estrella Damm

Estrella Damm cervesa is nothing more and nothing less than your average Damm lager.

Crystal clear, straw-colored, and with a tall white head, this Damm beer is crisp, clean, and light.  The Damm aroma is of Damm delicate hops and a slight Damm sweetness, and finishes cleanly.

The Bottom Line:  It's not horrible, but it's not Damm good, either.

The Rating:  Eh.

Desnoes and Geddes Dragon Stout

Dragon Stout by Jamaican brewer Desnoes and Geddes comes in a teeny-tiny bottle (only 300ML) but packs a wallop with the 7.5% alcohol content.

It pours murky and dark with a vague reddish hue and a finger of dense tan head.  Aroma is of alcohol, toffee,  coffee, light hops, and baker's chocolate.

The taste is sweet, but then it would have to be to cover up all of the alcohol.  It hints of licorice and spice, almost like some sort of rum.  Notes of espresso lurk in the background, but chocolate takes center stage.  The finish is bittersweet and alcoholic.

The Bottom Line:  Good, but a bit sweet and chocolatey for my tastes.

The Rating:  Not Bad.

Erdinger Weissbräu Dunkel

Brewed by Erdinger Weissbräu, this Gernan dunkel [dark beer] is described as "A wheat beer from the good old days".  If the good old days were as good as this beer, then they were indeed good.

It looks absolutely beautiful in the glass, a rich, murky dark brown with contrasting off-white head.  The head remains all the way to the end, without much lacing.

My nose was quite busy with this beer, picking out the predominant chocolate, subtle fruit, light alcohol, raisin, roasted hops, and caramel.  Flavor is heady, with malt, hops, and toasted wheat dominating.  Carbonation is mild, and it finishes with a medium bitterness.

The Bottom Line:  This complex dark beer has an interesting aroma and flavor profile which makes it highly enjoyable.

The Rating:  Good Stuff.

Wychwood Hobgoblin (Pasteurized)

I noticed this brew from the UK brewer Wychwood at the local MLCC and thought I'd give it a whirl.

Hobgoblin is a pale reddish brown with a light tan head.  The head sticks around and laces nicely.  The aroma  isn't bad, smelling of malt, caramel, and tea, but the alcohol overpowers it a bit.  It dominates the middle half of the flavor profile, too, which has a medium burnt sugar bitterness that fades into prickly alcohol and then to a hops finish.

I found the alcohol flavor to be fairly distracting and odd, especially considering that it's only 5.2% ABV.  If it wasn't for that, though, Hobgoblin would fall fairly flat, as the only other major theme is the same hops and malt you can get from most any other brew.

The Bottom Line:  Not a horrible beer, but not a good one either.

The Rating:  Eh.